Tempera and Watercolor- Are they the same?

I was recently asked by a customer, what is the difference between tempera paint and watercolor. She went on to say that they are both water based and are both resoluble, however, the two are very different, in deed! Let us begin with the definition.

Tempera paint is defined as paint that consists of dry pigment and a glutinous water soluble binder, usually some type of sizing. This could refer to several types of paints, including egg tempera, made with egg yolks ,as well as casein paints, which are made with milk. These paints can be perishable when in liquid form, however, when they cure they can last for hundreds of years.

This type of tempera is not what my customer was referring to. She was talking about poster paint, which is also a type of tempera that uses a gum water or glue based sizing for its binder. The pigment is usually a colored powder, unlike watercolor, which uses natural pigments and minerals that can be hazardous. Poster paint is great for use in children’s projects as it is non-toxic and washes out very easily. You can buy it as a liquid or as a dry powdered paint. It is very inexpensive and unfortunately can fade over time.

As for Watercolor paint, it is a more dependable medium. It is formulated to be light fast and has a high concentration of pigments. Professional watercolors are designed to last for years without fading. The basic make up of watercolors in general is as follows:

1) Concentrated dry pigments -natural pigments and minerals- These are usually by-products of the auto industry, which mines the pigments for their auto paints.

2) Binder- Gum Arabic - The vehicle in which the pigment is distributed with.

3) Plasticizer – Glycerin, which softens the gum arabic and helps it to re-dissolve.

5) Extender - Dextrin- a filler which bulks out the paint without diluting the color. In a student grade paint, there is more of this filler and less pigment, making the paint more affordable.

6) Dispersant - keeps paint from clumping

7) Water - which suspends the pigment and vehicle and carries it to the paper and then evaporates to leave the paint adhered to the paper.

The basic concentration of pigment in watercolor paint is 20% to 50% pure pigment. This is determined by the degree of tinting ability in the pigment itself. Colors like the Phthalos and Alizarin Crimson require a less percentage than colors like Ultramarine Blue and most yellows. The rest of the percentage is what holds the paint together and keeps it moist. Watercolor paint is designed to be controlled by the water itself. The way you apply the water and pigment determines the results. It is very important as watercolorist that we use the best quality materials that we can afford. This will help to ensure the success of our paintings.

Different mediums are developed for different uses. They are best used for what they were designed to do. Therefore, and in conclusion, although poster paints and watercolor pigments have some similarities, they are ,however, very different mediums! Art comes down to creating, creating requires being inquisitive, and questioning the properties of mediums brings to us many new and wonderful discoveries and techniques. Happy Discoveries!

19 Responses

I am entering Tempera artwork in a judgeing show They have no category for Tempera in this show. How should I title the medium, water color?’ ‘Tempera;Watercolor?’ Very rarely see Tempera in Art Shows. Acrylic seem to be the rage. Appreciate a definitive answer. Thanks.

Hi Robert, it would be best if you check with the show rules and regulations or communicate directly with someone from the show. I would say, it really depends on the binder. If it is an egg tempera or casein you should say it is. If it is standard tempera (poster paint) it would be closest to a watercolor category because it is re-soluble. If the show requires you to offer the painting for sale, it should not be offered under the assumption that it is professional transparent watercolor due to the unpredictable lightfastness and longevity of the tempera paint. If you cannot get a definitive answer from the show, I would think you would enter it in the Watercolor category as “Watercolor (Tempera)”. I hope this information is helpful. Good Luck with your entry!

Hi Ann, Poster paint or tempera is basically a type of water soluble paint in that it does remain re-soluble after it dries. You can dilute the paint to act more like a watercolor. Poster paints may not move on the paper like true watercolors, however, you should be able to create transparent washes from them. Thanks for your question and happy painting!

My daughter worked on a project today on my BRAND NEW E.P.Henry patio and basically got tempera paint all over it… Will it fade? Please tell me it will. Thankfully it was a brown on the ‘honey’ pavers, so at least is a natural color, but I want it to fade. Can I speed that process along? They tried to wash it with soap and water but it is not budging. The paint was thinned with water. HELP! Any advice would be helpful.

Hi Laura,
Tempera Paint is basically just dry pigment, a water based glue binder, and water. It is not made for permanency and will eventually fade. You may want to try a bleach solution on the pavers and scrub with a wire bristle brush or even a stiff floor broom. This should loosen most of the surface pigment. Try a small area before committing to the whole floor. Temperas are not especially lightfast so I would think the color would fade in sunlight pretty fast. I hope this information is helpful and good luck with your situation! -monalisa

I enjoyed reading about the differences! I was hoping I could get some advice… my son is creating artwork that id like to collect and keep for him to make a book. Is there a non toxic paint that he could use that won’t fade away? Thank you!

Question: Is Dick Blick premium Tempera paint really going to last on canvas panels. The tempera is rated lightfast that is why started making paintings from this highly rated tempera. I have about 80 paintings so far and now was wondering if I made a mistake ?

I have had good luck mixing white casein with watercolors to paint on dark surfaces even black (gesso or acrylic). I plan to try using white tempera poster paint with watercolors on dark surfaces, hopefully with a good result. My favorite medium is watercolor (followed by oil then acrylic). Experimenting has broadened my horizons.

Hi, I just wanted to ask if this is done professionally. To use good quality watercolors with a good amount of poster colors to make the colors opaque ? Does the painting get down graded to a poster color painting where it can fade ? I tried using the white of water color paint , but I would use so much of it

The poster paint experiment did not work to my satisfaction. I believe the casein and WC on black gesso or acrylic produces better results. Fading of the mix may result but not in my life time. I spray all WC and acrylic work with Krylon UV-Resistant clear coat. My preferred media is WC. I sell very little of my work. I paint for myself for recreation and have fun plus donate to fund raisers.